Monday, April 09, 2007

Yo-Yo Ma on Globalization


"[N]othing great was ever produced in isolation. Even something as basic as our Western major and minor keys may have originally come from the amazingly complex modes of classical Persian music."

The great cellist went to point out that the cultures of East and West have been cross-fertilizing from Alexander the Great's time, if not earlier.

3 comments:

  1. That's pretty amazing, never even thought about globalization of the music world relating to economics. But, it's perfect. Perfect because music and art are not seen as "goods and services" when they are probably some of the first.
    Interestingly there was a bit on pottery on the history channel. They talked about how pottery was the main medium of exchange in the ancient world. Not only did it have a practical, but also an aesthetic appeal. Music is the same. It is an item that brings value to the individual who enjoys it. Music is no less a consumption good than any other item.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Tyler Cowen's books on culture have amazing material on this subject. Well-worth checking out.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I will be sure to check that out.

    ReplyDelete